The Malaysian branch of Streamline Studios, developers of games like Bake N Switch and credited in games like Armored Core 6 have not been following firing procedures, as ex-employees bemoan late payments and on-the spot firings during multiple waves of layoffs.
In one post on LinkedIn, Senior Game Designer Ryan Chin puts the studio on blast for failing to compensate employees with either a proper notice period or one months’ pay.
“Terminating employees through a retrenchment exercise on the same day is bad enough, but blatantly violating notice periods and severance compensation is inexcusable”, he writes. “It has been almost 100 days since the event, and affected employees are still waiting for their due”.
Speaking to Ryan, he described that employees would be called into meetings and told they were terminated on the spot.
“It was I believe the last Friday of February I was called in the afternoon unexpectedly and terminated on the spot”, Ryan says. “I happened to be [working from home] that day”.
“They said others were called to an on-the-spot meeting in the office and terminated immediately as well”, he said.
The comments are also full with former Streamline Studios employees saying that these practices are part of a larger playbook that the studio has deployed similar tactics in the past.
“Been there 8 years ago and witnessed 60+ artist being asked to pack their personal belonging immediately and leave within an hour without prior notice, with minimum compensation that took months and years to process and no help given whatsoever, as if they’re just headcount, not human”, writes Loh Tong Hong, who had worked at the studio in 2015.
Streamline Studios Employees Speak Out
Sources familiar with the matter told Nmia Gaming that at least one of these firing exercises saw 20 developers fired at once- effective immediately, without a notice period.
According to Malaysian labor law, fired employees are entitled to severance pay and a notice period upon termination, something that the multiple accounts expressly say wasn’t offered to them.
Streamline Studios ‘ methods include splitting the payments up into installments to offset the costs- though ex-employees say they’ve only received as low as one of the payments despite full payment being promised within 60 days of the termination.
According to Ryan, he was told that the studio told him he’d be “unlikely” to receive his full compensation, and despite not signing anything agreeing to the installments was paid on that schedule.
Even then, he says despite being promised full compensation in 60 days, he’s only been paid half of what he’s owed over three months.
He also said that he was asked if he ‘needed’ the money during the discussions.
We’ve reached out to Streamline Studios for comment on the matter and will update with their response.
